MoMo
MoMo, clad in sparkling red crown. Photo Credit - irrawaddy.com

Yangon Zoo threw a birthday party for its oldest elephant, MoMo, on October 21 last. Thousands of her human admirers gathered at the Yangon Zoological Garden to wish the beloved pachyderm a happy 65th birthday.

A report published in the The Irrawaddy stated that MoMo was dressed in a bright, sparkly red outfit for the occasion, which reached its climax as she blew out the candles on her jumbo-sized birthday cake. She and five of her junior elephants from the zoo were also treated to a fruit buffet, musical performances by local idols, animal dances, games and even a comedy show.

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The report further stated that Yangon Zoo has celebrated MoMoโ€™s birthday every year since 2010; the party has become something of an event and always draws a crowd. MoMo has long been Yangonโ€™s (Myanmar) favourite elephant; for nearly 55 years she charmed the cityโ€™s residents with her special talents such as dancing with a football, playing the harmonica and shaking her hips to the beat. She finally retired as a performer at age 60, said Ko Aung Win Thaung, the elephant keeper at Yangon Zoo.

Every Sunday for decades, Yangon Zoo was packed with families flocking in to see MoMoโ€™s show. She is now an institution among city-dwellers. โ€œIโ€™ve been working with MoMo for nearly 10 years. Sheโ€™s a clever one. Currently, she is the matriarch of a group of six elephants at Yangon Zoo,โ€ Ko Aung Win Thaung said.

โ€œSheโ€™s getting on a bit now and would like to enjoy a quiet life, but the younger elephants are playful and she gets cross with them. At the same time, sheโ€™s teaching them life lessons, and not to make trouble,โ€ he said. MoMo was born in 1953 in Loikaw, Kayah State. Her owner, U Khoon Sandah, donated her to the zoo in 1961.

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